Editorial: A judge weighs in on the side of 'normalcy'

THANK GOODNESS for U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman. Without him, who knows how long it might be before drilling resumes in the Gulf of Mexico?

The federal judge in New Orleans has a knack for seeing through bureaucratic foolishness — a knack he demonstrated anew last week when he gave the Interior Department 30 days to act on five pending deepwater drilling permits.

By stalling on these and other permit applications, the Obama administration has created a de facto drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico — despite Judge Feldman’s decision last summer that struck down a six-month federal drilling moratorium.

The judge’s ruling last week makes it clear that he will not tolerate stalling tactics by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The agency, he said, should begin processing permits again “to restore normalcy to the Gulf region.”

It is reasonable — indeed, desirable — for federal regulators to ensure that offshore drilling is carried out safely. Nobody wants a repeat of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, least of all residents of the central Gulf Coast.

But it is not reasonable to put the brakes on offshore drilling. America needs the oil and gas that come from the Gulf of Mexico, and this region needs the jobs and revenue that come from drilling. The longer the administration delays a resumption of drilling, the more companies and rig operators may move overseas.

The key is finding the right balance. Federal regulators are right to pay close attention to permit applications, making sure that oil companies and drilling contractors have the necessary safety precautions and procedures in place.

Lax oversight is believed to have contributed to the April 20, 2010, explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, killing 11 men and releasing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

If the Interior Department finds flaws in applications for drilling permits, it should reject them. Otherwise, as Judge Feldman pointed out, it’s time for normalcy on the Gulf Coast.